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Spiritual Life and Leadership

Markus Watson

301 episodes

1 week ago

This is it—the final episode of our partnership with the Church Leadership Institute. It's hard to believe how quickly these years have flown by. In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson look back on what this collaboration has meant, what we've accomplished together, and where the road leads from here. THIS EPSODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Markus Watson reflects on starting the podcast during a time of personal transition and describes how the partnership with the Church Leadership Ins...

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Religion & Spirituality

All content for Spiritual Life and Leadership is the property of Markus Watson and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

This is it—the final episode of our partnership with the Church Leadership Institute. It's hard to believe how quickly these years have flown by. In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson look back on what this collaboration has meant, what we've accomplished together, and where the road leads from here. THIS EPSODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Markus Watson reflects on starting the podcast during a time of personal transition and describes how the partnership with the Church Leadership Ins...

Show more...

Religion & Spirituality

Episodes (20/301)

Spiritual Life and Leadership

302. A New Chapter for Spiritual Life and Leadership

In this special episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership, Markus Watson reflects on the incredible six-and-a-half-year journey of the podcast, shares the story of its beginnings, and reveals exciting news about its next chapter. With a partnership ending and fresh possibilities ahead, Markus opens up about his plans for a creative sabbatical, new formats, and future topics that matter to church leaders today. Plus, he invites listeners to help shape the show's direction by joining a Zoom call...

1 day ago

17 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

301. The End of an Era: Saying Goodbye to the Church Leadership Institute Partnership, with Tod Bolsinger

This is it—the final episode of our partnership with the Church Leadership Institute. It's hard to believe how quickly these years have flown by. In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson look back on what this collaboration has meant, what we've accomplished together, and where the road leads from here. THIS EPSODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Markus Watson reflects on starting the podcast during a time of personal transition and describes how the partnership with the Church Leadership Ins...

2 weeks ago

28 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

300. How Churches Can Engage and Support Gen Z, with Tanita Tualla Maddox, author of What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God

What does it really mean to create a “safe space” for young people in our churches—not just a place free from harm, but a place where their deepest questions and unique experiences are genuinely welcomed? In this episode, Tanita Tualla Maddox, National Director for Generational Impact for Young Life and author of What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God, helps us understand Gen Z’s core questions about faith, the meaning of safety and trust, and how churches and ministry leaders can communic...

3 weeks ago

43 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

299. What if Leading Alone was the Greatest Leadership Myth? A Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Discover why real leadership is never a solo journey—and how embracing your own vulnerability can unlock the supportive relationships you need to thrive through change. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss Tod's own quote in Ep. 283, Disorientation and Spiritual Leadership: “The vulnerability of leadership needs the security of many relationships.” THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Leaders thrive when they work alongside partners, mentors, and friends.Effective change leadership r...

4 weeks ago

6 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

298. Building Stronger Churches Through Collaborative Leadership, with E.K. Strawser, author of You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone

Do you ever feel like you’re alone in your leadership? Why is that? Why do so many church leaders feel isolated—and how did we come to believe that ministry is something we’re supposed to do alone? In this episode, E.K. Strawser, author of You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone, unpacks what it means to move from solo leadership to a model shaped by shared responsibility and the APEST framework—apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher—so that not only our churches, but our commun...

1 month ago

53 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

297. The Secret to Calm Leadership Under Pressure, a Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Learn how mastering your anxiety with simple, God-given tools like deep breathing can transform your leadership in the moments that matter most. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Audrey Davidheiser in Ep. 284, How to Respond Thoughtfully Instead of Reacting: "If you feel anxious or rushed or concerned or fearful, deep breaths. Because taking deep breaths from the belly is just a natural way that God has instilled in our brain, that it just kind of resets the nervous syst...

1 month ago

5 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

296. Why Do Leaders Fear Being Honest with Their Congregation? with Tom Bennardo, author of Open-Hearted People, Soul-Connected Church

Why is it so hard for pastors and church people to be truly open and honest with one another? In ministry, we talk a lot about authenticity, vulnerability, and grace—but in reality, putting those ideals into practice can feel risky, messy, and even dangerous. In this episode, Tom Bennardo, author of Open-Hearted People, Soul-Connected Church, draws on decades of pastoral experience to unpack the journey from guarded exteriors to soul-connected community, offering practical wisdom for leaders ...

1 month ago

52 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

295. How to Energize Leadership by Seeking New Voices, a Quick Converstion with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Learn how breaking out of your comfort zone and embracing new perspectives can transform your leadership and help dismantle bias in your church. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Erin Devers in Ep. 282, The Cost of Bias in the Church: “One of the strategies for reducing bias is to go bigger, to widen your perspective.” THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: People tend to hold onto their biases because they find comfort and safety in the familiar.Leaders confuse discomfort...

1 month ago

6 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

294. How Jews for Jesus is Adapting to a New Generation, with Aaron Abramson, author of Mission Design

Jews for Jesus helps Jewish people come to know Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. What’s fascinating is how Jews for Jesus has not only remained committed to that mission of sharing the hope of the Jewish Messiah, but has also adapted as the world around it has changed. As ministry leaders, we face the tension between time-honored tradition and the need for fresh approaches—and the story of Jews for Jesus offers some compelling lessons in adaptive leadership. In this episode, Aaron Abramson, CEO of ...

2 months ago

56 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

293. Why Does Mission Grow From Humble Listening? A Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Explore how real transformation in spiritual leadership begins with listening deeply to your community and letting curiosity—not certainty—shape your mission. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Shannon Kiser in Ep. 280, Empowering Leaders for Creative Mission: “Fresh expressions always start with listening and being attentive to who God is putting on your heart.” THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Leaders cultivate fresh expressions of church by listening deeply to thei...

2 months ago

6 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

292. Why Do Effective Leaders Prioritize Asking Over Answering? With J.R. Briggs, author of The Art of Asking Better Questions

What if the best leadership isn’t about having the answers, but about asking the questions that draw out wisdom, connection, and creativity from those around us? What if the most transformational moments in ministry happen not when we speak—but when we invite others to share, reflect, and dream with us? In this episode, J.R. Briggs, author of The Art of Asking Better Questions discusses how asking great questions can open new possibilities for ministry leaders and lead to healthier, more effe...

2 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Spiritual Life and Leadership

291. The Complex Truth About Modern Churchgoers, a Quick conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Discover why leading in today’s church means listening deeply to people’s questions, griefs, and dreams—before ever stepping into the pulpit. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Mark Glanville in Ep. 278, Preaching in Today's Post-Christian World: "People are walking to church now, not with the Bible under their arm, but with complex and genuine questions, with hopes, with dreams, with griefs on their heart, sometimes with a complex relationship with the Bible itself.” T...

2 months ago

5 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

290. Don't Assume Trust Guarantees Success in Leadership, with Tod Bolsinger

As ministry leaders, we often imagine that building trust is the ultimate goal—once we have it, the road to transformation should be clear. But what happens when trust alone isn’t enough? The truth is, trust is only the starting point. Moving beyond it requires us to invest our trust in ways that actually make change possible, even when it means taking risks and facing loss together. In this episode, Tod Bolsinger, author of Invest in Transformation: Quit Relying on Trust, shares why trust is...

3 months ago

40 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

289. Exegeting Neighborhoods and Churches, a Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Learn how transformational leaders can unlock real change by listening deeply to their neighborhoods—before making big plans for the future. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Josh Hayden in Ep. 272, Beyond Church Revitalization. "Remissioning leaders have to do the steady work of exegeting the neighborhood, and doing the exegesis work of the church before they make big plans about what success or flourishing looks like for our church or our neighbors." THIS EPISODE'S H...

3 months ago

8 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

288. Leadership That Smells Like the Gospel, with Jason Jensen, author of Formed to Lead

Why is it that so many ministry leaders—people called to reflect Christ’s love—so often end up burned out, disillusioned, or driven by power and platform instead of humility and service? It’s heartbreaking when church leadership doesn’t “smell like the gospel,” and instead resembles the very systems of profit and self-promotion it should prophetically resist. In this episode, Jason Jensen, Vice President of Spiritual Foundations for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and author of Formed to Le...

3 months ago

41 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

287. Leadership and Lament, a Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Discover why real transformation happens when leaders have the courage to journey with people into their sorrow and bring the hope of Christ to the places of deepest pain. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Andrew Root in Ep. 270, Evangelism as Consolation: "What we really need, what people yearn for, is someone who will journey with them into their sorrow and to proclaim and witness to a Jesus Christ who is present in sorrow." THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Leaders...

3 months ago

6 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

286. Incarnational Ministry vs. Digital Engagement, with Michael Huerter, author of The Hybrid Congregation

The COVID-19 crisis pushed churches to reimagine everything from Sunday worship to committee meetings, often thrusting them onto unfamiliar digital ground. Navigating livestreams, Zoom calls, and online communion, ministry leaders have had to ask: What does it mean to truly be the body of Christ in a hybrid or even fully online world? In this episode, Michael Huerter, author of The Hybrid Congregation, talks about the theological and practical implications of digital ministry, how technology ...

4 months ago

49 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

285. Embracing the Unfamiliar, a Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking! Discover how stepping into discomfort and crossing borders—literal and metaphorical—can transform you and your leadership in ways you never imagined. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Seth Clark in Ep. 268, Borderless Faith: “Somehow there is this thing happening at the border that I get to participate in, that is making a difference and reminding people of God's love and hopefully drawing them into God's love in a n...

4 months ago

7 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

284. How to Respond Thoughtfully Instead of Reacting, with Audrey Davidheiser, author of Grieving Wholeheartedly

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking! Ministry can stir up all kinds of feelings, especially when we’re dealing with conflict, with grief, with change. And the better we understand what’s happening beneath the surface, the better we can lead ourselves—and our people—more thoughtfully and more effectively. In this episode, I’m speaking with Dr. Audrey Davidheiser, a licensed psychologist and the author of Grieving Wholeheartedly. Audrey helps us understand something called Int...

4 months ago

47 minutes

Spiritual Life and Leadership

283. Stay on Target! A Quick Conversation with Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking! Learn how keeping “the main thing the main thing” can transform your church’s mission, focus your decisions, and unite your community as one body in Christ. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Terry A. Smith in Ep. 266, The Church as Shalom Maker: "I work so hard to make sure that we keep the main thing the main thing, that we don't get caught up in things that keep us from who we are supposed to be as one body in Chri...

4 months ago

6 minutes